Eric was born May 21, 1988. He was not only my son, but also my best friend. At the age of five Eric lost his hearing in his right ear. Eric learned to handle this deficit very fast and became a good pupil. Natural sciences, particularly mathematics, was his favorite subject. Eric played soccer, and tried to play ice hockey and basketball. Music was one of his greatest pleasures, especially Techno music. The last book he read, which he could not finish, was Out of Body.

In March 2003, we enjoyed a night of watching shooting stars. We sat together, warmly dressed, counting them on the terrace. Suddenly he said to me, “If I’m not around anymore, Mom, I would like to go to the stars, and I would like my friends to come, and I want you to play music. I don’t want flowers. I would like to have candles.”

I answered, “Don’t be afraid, I hope you will be here when I pass away.”

He said, “I only want you to know this.”

Three days before his death I dreamt something had happened to him. I told him to take care of himself and said, “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He answered, with a smile on his face, “Mom, you have to go on.” He looked like – what’s this for a question?

Three days later, Eric died, on August 4, 2003. He was run over by a train, because he exited the train on the wrong side. He’ll always be there for us. We only have to listen deep in our hearts and we can find him there. We know that the human body is made of energy and energy can’t die.

We have to learn to see, although our eyes recognize nothing.Learn to hear, although our ears cannot hear anything.Learn to feel, although nobody hugs us.Like blind men, deaf men or paralyzed ones.We have to learn that what we see, hear and feel isn’t everything.We must stop acting as if we would dominate things, then we will recognize that there’s more that we can imagine.

Who can really imagine that the universe is infinite, but it is!We cannot really imagine, because everything on earth has a beginning and an end. If you see that an end is also a new beginning then you can foresee infinity.

I would like to thank my son.I would like to say thank you for the 15 years he was with me, for the joy, the laughter and crying, for the studying, the understanding and the growing.

He will always live in my heart.With this memorial spaceflight we fulfill his wish.Eric himself was convinced that death is not the end.